Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Peter had heard about a rumor. A house where people went in, but never came out. The house itself is hard to miss. Although there are houses in New York City, they are usually smallish, and don’t have a front or back yard, although a handful do. This particular house looked very out of place in Brooklyn. It had a large front yard that stretched all the way around the house, turning into the backyard as well. The grass is very overgrown and the yard is absolutely filled with statues. Some look like they have been there much longer than others, duller, with more vines and weeds growing in and around them. 

The rumor was that Medusa lived there, yes, the Greek god. Some say you can still hear the distant screams and cries of her victims when passing by. No one really believed it, but they were scared enough to stay away. Peter thought it was just a scary story… he was wrong.

He was in Brooklyn on patrol. He’s trying this new thing where he picks a different burrow of New York City each night, that way he can protect more than just Queens and Manhattan. He had already had an eventful night of stopping robberies/muggings and helping civilians in any small way he could. He was turning to swing back to queens to go to bed, his curfew was in less than an hour anyway, when he heard a terror filled scream. He immediately changed his trajectory, swinging toward the cry. 

He heard it again and his eyes locked on a house. The house. Even Peter had never ventured in, even if he didn’t believe that a Greek God randomly lived in Brooklyn. Still, he wasn’t going to just stand there and listen to someone scream for their life. He took off running, jumping over the gate and into the garden. He heard a crackle, Karen fading in and out, something was definitely interfering with his AI. He didn’t think too much of it though as he continued on toward the cry. He wove through statues, all with different heights, widths, and features. It was dark, but his vision is more enhanced due tot he spider bite. There were also some lights in the garden, illuminating the features of the statues. 

One statue he came across stopped him for a moment. His breath heavy through his mask as he takes in her features. She reminds him of a young woman, around 20 years old, who went missing three days ago, her family pleading on the news for any information. This statue also looked newer than some of the others around it. It was a bit brighter in color, even if that color was grey, and no plant life had made it onto the actual rock yet. Although, there was a pretty purple wildflower right beside the statue’s feet, almost hiding in the overly tall grass..

“Help!!”

The yell got him right back into action, running toward the noise. He heard another scream and an odd sound like rocks sliding against each other. He could still hear the person call out, but it was much more muffled, he’s not sure he would have heard it if he didn’t have super hearing. He gets there to see a woman, but she doesn’t look like she’s in distress. The woman snaps her head toward him, and on instinct, maybe it’s because of the years he spent obsessed with Percy Jackson, he looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. Did he believe he was standing just a few feet away from The Medusa ? No, but better safe than sorry. 

“Spider-Man?” She sounds shocked. “Could I actually add a real superhero to my collection?”

“Ha,” he pretended to laugh, “No thanks, I’m good, just came in here to find a…. friend of mine.” Peter says, his eyes are still down, but he can feel and sense her coming closer. Peter backs away, walking into many statues, finding it difficult to keep a stable footing.

“Oh yeah, and who might this friend be?” Her voice was layered with hisses, like snakes. He saw large coils in her hair, in the one second he looked at her, but that’s it. He couldn't say whether they were actual snakes or not.

“Oh you know…” Peter of course didn’t know what the person looked like, or their name, but he knew what they sounded like, “was just screaming for help, ring a bell?” His back hits another statue, trying to scoot around it, without looking at or turning his back to her. He uses his hands to feel out how to move around it. The texture coarse and rough under his palm.

“Oh, him?” She said, her voice silky smooth with no wrinkles, the hissing almost drowning out the soft spoken voice, “He’s a little stuck right now.”

Stuck?

He backs up into yet another statue, no clear walking path, still dark as it is officially late in the night. He again moves around it, keeping his eyes down as the woman continues to advance. His eyes catch sight of a wildflower. The purple wildflower from earlier, dim but somehow still vibrant through the overgrown grass. 

The girl

Stuck  

No… Were all these all… 

He knew the rumor, yes, but he never actually thought Medusa was real! He definitely didn't think she would be in Brooklyn of all places! And maybe she wasn't actually The Medusa, but she was definitely more than human, with dangerous, very Medusa like powers. He couldn't help his rage from coming out, being careful to keep his eyes on the ground.  “You monster!!” Peter screamed. The wildflower slowly leaving his sight as he continued to back away. “You killed them all?!!”

“No.” Her voice is uncomfortably calm. “I preserved them, death is just an unlucky byproduct.”

“Let them go!” He trips, falling onto his butt, he keeps his eyes down as he tries to crab walk back. Suit covered hands and feet sliding through the tall grass against the dirt. He can see her black shoes as she continues to walk toward him, his heart felt like it was knocking into his ribs. He his head bumps into stone, repeatedly, as he tries to get further away from her.

“I cannot undo what has been done.”

“Then why'd you do it!” He awkwardly got back to his feet, using a statue... a person, to pull himself up, his palms scrapped against the coarse material. He does this, once again, without looking at or turning his back to her. The terror of the situation is getting to him, tears of overwhelm bubble up to the surface. 

“You think I have a choice!!” Her tone went from calm to fury in a split second, shocking Peter into alomst, unintentionally looking up. 

“Coming after me right now is a choice!” His back hits more statues people, as he walks backward. This can't be happening.

Her voice is tranquil once more. “Although that may be true, I didn’t choose my powers. Did you choose yours?” Peter’s lack of response is confirmation enough for her. “Also, you made a choice when you trespassed on my property.”

He might be scared, but that doesn't mean he's not furious and heart broken for her victims, literally surrounding him. “You may turn people to stone- or whatever, but your heart is made of stone!” 

“Once again, that may be true,” It was eerie how such a clam voice could put him so on edge, “but it’s only because the world made me this way.” She was getting too close, he was shaking with adrenaline, tears dampening his mask.

He hides his fear with humor. “As fun as this conversation is” He puts an arm up, aiming it behind him. “I think I’ll just leave your property now, no harm no foul.” Except for everyone that came before him. He can’t risk looking over his shoulder, as she may come up behind him, for all he knows she has super speed. He shoots a web begging it to catch on something tall enough behind him. His enhanced senses pick up the sound of the web falling to the ground. He gulps and makes an insanely crucial mistake. 

Peter looks up…

Chapter Text

Tony was working on one of his suits that randomly shut down mid mission, frustrated as the wires spark. He brings his hands away, his finger having gotten burned slightly. He shakes his hand out to stop the sparking feeling in his limb.  

“Boss, May Parker is calling.”

Tony looks up, checking the time; it’s after midnight. “Answer it Fri.”

“Tony?”

“Hey, May.” He goes back to working, assuming that she is asking a Spider-Man or internship question. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Is Peter with you?” Her voice sounds a little frantic.

Tony stops what he’s doing, his entire focus now in the call, “No. Wasn’t his curfew over an hour ago?”

“Yes, yes, it was, and he’s not here, Tony.” She says, her voice wavering, “He never came back from Patrol.”

She may have the title of aunt, but all Tony could hear over the phone was the worried words of a parent. “FRI, track Peter’s suit.”

“Mr. Parker’s suit is offline.”

“What?” both Tony and May say as they hear FRIDAY’s reply. 

“Mr. Parker’s suit went offline approximately three hours ago.”

“Track his phone!”

“His phone is located in Brooklyn, Prospect Lefferts Gardens. I have already programmed the exact address into Mark VII.” 

As the suit melds around him, he starts walking to the helipad, taking off as soon as his armor is fully formed. The call transferred into the suit, "I'll find him, May. I’ll call you once I do.”

“Please do.” She says, and he can tell she’s starting to cry, “Keep him safe.”

“I will.” He disconnects the call. 

He lands outside a house. He has seen rumors about this house, just as most people have. He ignores them all as he flies over the gate, landing once more, this time in the garden. He walks further in, taking note of all the different sculptures as he continues on. Toward where the front/side yard turns into the backyard, Tony calls out, “Kid?!!” He stops at the sound of a voice.

“Two superheroes in one day?” A smooth voice says, almost sounding giddy. 

“Boss, I advise you not to look into her eyes.” FRIDAY speaks up.

He doesn’t believe Medusa lives here, but he does trust FRIDAY. He lowered his head, keeping his eyes down. “Where’s Spider-Man?”

“Hmmm,” She hums, and Tony feels a shiver run over every bump of his spine, “Spider-Man, I know he's around here somewhere.”

“Spider-Man!!!” Tony calls, hoping to protect the kid’s identity. He heard a muffled call, but it was small enough he thought it could have been an animal, like a squirrel or a bunny.  

“Guess you just have to look around for him.” She laughs. 

“FRI, can you be my eyes?” Tony asks, keeping his gaze down, but he can hear her walking closer. He doesn’t even know what he’s looking away from; he doesn't know who she is or what she looks like. He can hear white noise though… or something close to hissing?

“Yes, Boss. I advise you to lower the blackout shield you built into your helmet for your migraines. I will try to locate Mr. Parker while keeping you apprised of where the threat is.” Tony is so glad he programmed his AI to be this intelligent. He wouldn’t have thought of the blackout shield, his mind focused on Peter. He does as his AI said, lowering the vision cover. 

“Can you see him FRI?” Tony asks, lifting his head up, so FRIDAY can get a better view of the garden and the woman. All the man sees is black, though; it’s eerie, but he trusts his tech. 

“He does not appear to be in front of you, boss. She is advancing.” He starts to slowly back away, his backplate hitting statues as he goes. “Turn your head to the left, and I will do another scan.”

Tony turns his head to the left, listening to the footsteps approaching him. “Spider-Man!!” He calls out again. Nothing. Just the soft sound of armor and shoes on grass. 

“I have yet to locate Mr. Parker.” Tony sighs as he continues to back away. Where are you, kid?

“I’ve never added a superhero to my collection until today, and now I get two?!” The woman says.

Collection?

“I’m just here to pick up a friend,” Tony assures.

He hears a laugh, “You know, Spider-Man said the same thing.”

Tony didn’t know that, but he couldn’t think about it long as FRIDAY cut into the conversation. “Turn your head to the right boss.” He does as she says, still backing away, just like Peter had, scooting around the sculptures. “Stop.”

Tony stops, but he can hear the woman still walking toward him. It’s odd, the fact that she is chasing him, but at a very slow pace. It somehow makes it even more terrifying. “Why am I stopping FRI?”

“I have located Mr. Parker, he is just to your right.”

Tony breathes out a sigh of relief, but not fully because the kid has not said a word. “Pete?” he whispers so she can’t hear. He knew the boy should be able to hear him with his magnified hearing. No response, Tony is starting to panic. “Is it safe to look?”

“She is currently in front of you, about twenty feet away. It is safe to look for a moment just to your right.”

He lifts the blackout shield. His heart feels like a stone dropping into his stomach. Actually, stone isn't the right word, because he is not made of, or even partly made of stone… but Peter is. He is staring at a sculpture of Spider-Man.

I’ve never added a superhero to my collection until today

Tony feels tears sneak onto his water line. “No.” He whispers, reaching a metal hand out to touch the kid’s stone face. The metal clinks slightly against the rock, the sound tearing through Tony’s soul. The eyes of Peter’s mask are staring straight ahead, straight through Tony. He could pretend it’s just a statue of Spider-Man, nothing else, but he knows his tech, the suit he made for the boy, way too well to fake naivety.

He’s too late.

“Boss, she is a few feet away, I advise you to lower the shield again.” 

He almost doesn’t put the blackout shield back down. For a moment he thinks it doesn’t matter if he’s turned to stone, he already feels dense and heavy with the weight of the kid’s lost life on his shoulders, but he is an Avenger. It’s time to Avenge.

“Lower the shield.” FRIDAY says again, and although she’s AI, she sounds frantic. The woman was only a few feet away. 

He lowers the built in eye cover. “How could you?!!” He screams, the sound is raw, he’s surprised it even came out of his vocal cords. Honestly, after the revelation, he’s surprised he’s even standing. He fires up a repulsor, “FRI, aim for me!” 

“Now boss.” He fires, the woman moves out of the way. 

“It’s pretty rude to shoot someone in their own home don’t you think?” She asks, her voice unbothered from the attack. 

“You killed my son!!!!!!!” He doesn’t even wait for FRIDAY to aim, he fires begging it hits her. He hears stone crumble. Even if he didn’t have the eye shield he knew he wouldn’t be able to see, tears covering his eyes, sliding down his face. Grief and rage creating the perfect storm. 

“And now you're damaging my property?”

“These statues…” He takes a shaky breath, trying not to think about it too hard. “These people are not your property!!!!” He fires again, more rock falling and hitting the grass with a heavy but soft thump. 

“The moment they stepped into the boundaries of my house they became my property.” She said it so smoothly, like it was a fact. 

“You're sick!!” He fires blindly again. “You have no heart!!”

“Hhmmm,” she half hums half chuckles, “Spider-Man spoke quite a similar sentiment earlier.” If Tony thinks too hard about Peter he will crack, but how can he not. It’s his kid… he just never told Peter that. “You two are birds of a feather.”

We were

“You took him from me!!” He cried, literally, “I won’t let you take anyone else!!!” He starts firing erratically and still blindly. He hears stones crumble over and over, until he finally hears a yell from the woman. 

“She’s been hit and is now unconscious; it is safe to look,” FRIDAY tells him.

Tony lifts up the shield to see the woman, snakes crawling all over her, yet not in her hair. She’s not Medusa, but it’s obvious she wants everyone to believe she is. She’s pretty damn close anyhow. Tony feels no pride in his victory over her though, the adrenaline wearing off. He falls to his metal knees, lifting the entire faceplate up and crying, his tears watering the struggling grass below. 

He cries with his face toward the ground. He doesn’t see the destruction the repulsors caused. He doesn’t see what came out of it. Each stone that was shot, each one that crumpled, revealed a person who had been trapped inside.

“It’s all my fault.” He says through his quiet but heart-wrenching sobs. Hunched over the earth.

If it weren’t for me he would be safe at home with his aunt. 

I brought him into this. 

I brought him to Germany. 

I made him the suit. 

I’m the reason Peter is dead. 

Peter is dead. Peter is dead. Peter is dead. Peter is dead. Peter is dead. Peter is…

“Mr. Stark?”

Tony’s sobs hitch. It has to be his mind playing tricks on him; he knows it.

“Mr. Stark?” 

But he can’t help but look. He takes a deep, shuddering breath, keeping his hope smushed under his metal knee, not ready for it to rise and then crash to the ground when he finds out the kid is still dead. He turns around.

“Mr. Stark.” This time it wasn’t a question. Tony could see Peter, not just a statue, but flesh and blood Peter, in his Spider-Man suit, halfway encased in stone. The top half of his body free, his face streaked with tears. 

“Peter,” he breathes out, as he has yet to move. “FRI?” He asks breathlessly, refusing to take his eyes off the kid.

“Yes, boss?”

“I-Is Peter in front of me?”

“Mr. Stark, it’s me.”

"Affermative." FRIDAY answers. 

“I-Is he made of stone? Is he alive? Is he breathing?” He doesn’t believe his eyes or his ears for that matter. He prays it’s not, but he thinks it’s a trick of the wannabe Medusa.

“Mr. Parker is not made of stone, but appears to have been encased in it. He is both alive and breathing, Boss.”

That’s all it takes for Tony to get off his knees, his hope free and rising higher by the second. He runs to Peter, shooting the stone around his legs. Peter is freed and falls forward, but Tony catches him, turning the save into a tight, life preserving hug. “Peter.” He says, holding the kid with one arm around his back and one metal hand on the back of the kid’s head. 

“Mr. Stark, the others.”

Tony is just trying to soak in the fact that the kid is alive and breathing, like nothing else in the world matters other than his kid being safe. “What?”

“They're not stone, they're just encased in it. We have to save them.” Peter says, although he still doesn’t let go. Tony can’t feel it through the armor, but the kid’s grip on him is fierce enough to make the metal creak. 

Tony knows Peter’s right, but when he looks around, without letting go of the boy, he sees, in the distance, crumpled rocks and bodies falling out of the broken stone. It’s a new screenplay for his nightmares. He has no idea how long these people have been trapped, it is highly probable that many, if not most, have or will not survive. He doesn't want to add an extra heap onto the already giant pile of trauma the kid has accumulated in his life. 

“I’ll call people to take her away and free the rest.” At least the families of those who didn’t make it can have some closure and lie their loved ones to rest. 

“But the girl, I need to see if she’s okay,” Peter says, finally breaking what may have been a world record long hug. 

It was still too quick for Tony though, frightened the kid will suddenly turn to stone, this all having been a hallucination of his fucked up brain. “What girl?”

“The girl from the news, she’s been missing for three days.” Tony’s eyebrows furrowed. He must have not seen the story on the news. “I think she was over here,” Peter says, starting to walk slowly through the maze of petrified people. 

“FRI, call in a team to free the captives and take in Ms. Generic Off-Brand Medusa.” 

“Yes, boss.”

“And have one of my gauntlets surveil her until they arrive.” Tony rushes over to Peter, one of his gauntlets flying off his arm, leaving his wrist and hand bare as he’s wearing a T-shirt under the suit. “She’s calling it in, kid, now let’s get you to the med bay.”

Peter keeps walking, but the tear streaks refuse to dry as new droplets of fear come racing down, “I’m fine.”

Tony almost wants to laugh at the absurd notion. No one encased in stone for hours would be fine. “Please, kid co-”

“Here!” Peter says, stopping. The garden is completely green, brown, and grey from the grass and the statues , but there is a speck of purple beside the sculpture in front of the kid. “Please, use your other repulsor to free her.”

Tony looks at the young girl with sorrow. He sighs, “Pete, she’s been in there three days. There’s a chance she’s…”

Peter turns to him, eyes still watery, expression scared and childlike, “I don’t know why, but I was in there for hours and I could breathe fine, Mr. Stark.” Probably magic. Tony thought, nothing really surprises him anymore… other than seeing Peter calcified. “If she can breathe, she may be alive; humans can survive 3-5 days without water.”

He’s a smart kid, Tony knows it, but what happens it’s too late. He doesn’t want Peter to see that, even if his line of work makes the boy somewhat desensitized to violence and death. He’s still a kid. His indecision and concern must have shown, “Please, Mr. Stark. Free her, and I’ll immediately go to the med bay.” 

Tony looks at Peter, his tear-filled eyes like a tide pulling him in, “Okay, just look away.”

“But-”

“I’ll tell you when you can look.” If you can look. Peter, like the tables have turned, looks quite uncertain, eyeing the girl, “I promise. Just, look away.” Peter looks at Tony and then the woman one more time before slowly turning around and looking away. 

Tony looks up, he’s not sure exactly why, but he does, and takes a breath. He’s an atheist, but he almost feels like he’s praying. He aims his one gauntlet at the stone and fires. The rock crumbles, and the girl is freed, falling forward toward the ground. Tony catches her, his flesh hand protecting her head from the grass. 

“What’s happening?” Peter asks, slightly turning his head, but not fully looking.

“One more second.” He says as he puts two fingers on her pulse point. She is pale and unconscious. He breathes out in relief when he feels her pulse against his fingers. It’s a little weak, but strong enough that it didn’t take long for the man to find.

“Can I look?”

“Yeah, kid.”

Peter turns around, going to them and kneeling beside the girl. “Is she okay?” Peter asks, although he can now hear her heart beat thanks to his enhancements. 

Tony’s not positive, but “I’m pretty sure she will be.”

It’s less than a minute later that an ambulance and shield agents swarm the garden. The EMTs immediately go toward them and the girl. The agents split up, going to the Medusa imposter and different petrified people. Once the EMTs take the girl and put her on a gurney,

Tony gets up, offering a hand to Peter, pulling him up and into another hug. Not ten minutes ago, he thought he would never get to hug the boy again. Now, though, he's been granted more time. More time to tell Peter and show the kid he loves him. Tony pulls back from the hug after a few moments, “Now we go to the med bay.” Peter groans, “You promised.”

“I know,” Peter says, drawing out the word frustratingly. 

Tony’s other gauntlet comes speeding toward them, connecting to the metal armor and covering the man’s left hand. He gets down on one knee, “Hop on,” he says, gesturing with his head to his back.

“I can swing there.”

“I know,” Tony admits, “but it will make me feel better; please.”

Peter can see the worry on the man’s face. Wrinkles that show how devastating and exhausting this ordeal has been for him. Peter would be lying if he said he wasn’t internally terrified after all that. The suit, the mask, gives him a sense of false confidence, always has. 

“Okay,” Peter says, climbing onto Tony’s backplate and sticking his hands and feet to it. 

“Is Karen still working?”

“Yeah, although she stopped responding while I was in the stone.”

Tony frowns at that. Maybe I can make his suit magic proof… is that even possible? He stops his train of thought as it diverges, getting it back on track. “But she’s working now?”

“Yeah.”

“Great, do me a favor and call Aunt Hottie on the way.” He says, starting up his repulsors. “She’s been worried sick.” I’ve been worried sick, too.  

He takes off as Peter calls May, heading toward the tower and the med bay. He has to make sure Peter is okay. 

Tony has to make sure his kid is safe.